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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28147467">Changes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimtheriel/pseuds/Nimtheriel'>Nimtheriel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Chariot [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Falling In Love, Fluff, Johnny-level swearing, Other, Spoilers, gender neutral pronouns for V cuz just like in real life I can't pick a gender, someones catching feelings, when i saw that tattoo i knew i had to write a fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:34:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28147467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimtheriel/pseuds/Nimtheriel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's on a rare sunny day that V begins to fall.</p><p>-OR-</p><p>V feels an Emotion and doesn't like that. Johnny gets a tattoo.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Johnny Silverhand/V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Chariot [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Changes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Unedited Edition TM (Good luck)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s on a rare sunny day that it happens. The smog native to Night City had vanished during the night, blown east by a rogue Pacific wind, leaving open blue skies to reign over the waking city. V watches from afar, having stayed with the Aldecaldos the night before. The dawn breaks behind them as they stand just outside the camp, watching their city begin to glow.<br/>
</p><p>“Nice view,” comes the comment. V turns to see Johnny’s projection lounging on a boulder. “Like gold leaf on a turd.”<br/>
</p><p>V smirks at the comparison, then quickly straightens their face. No need to give Johnny the satisfaction. “Come on,” they say, gesturing to the vista, “Night City ain’t so bad.”<br/>
</p><p>Johnny draws from a phantom cigarette. “Right. The sky-high rates of poverty and corruption are just part of its charm.” He studies V from behind his aviators. “Woulda thought you of all people’d wanna see it burn.”<br/>
</p><p>V shakes their head. “Nah. I’m gonna rule it some day.”<br/>
</p><p>“Sure you are, kid.” Johnny’s tone is sarcastic, but V can feel a glimmer of fondness through their link.<br/>
</p><p>It’s then, with the cool breeze ruffling their hair, with Johnny painted gold in the light of a new day, that V feels it. An ache in their chest, a wistful thought. Something far too soft for a hard man like Johnny.<br/>
</p><p>The carefree look drops from Johnny’s face as he feels it across their link. “...Fuck, V.”<br/>
</p><p>Blood rushes to their face. “Don’t you say a word,” V grits out. “Don’t you say a goddamn word.”<br/>
</p><p>Johnny snatches the aviators from his face, glaring right back. “So you’re just gonna pretend that didn’t happen? Pretend you’re not in-”<br/>
</p><p>“<em>I said shut the fuck up.</em>”<br/>
</p><p>Johnny raises his voice to match V’s. “Real mature of you. Not like I’d expect any different at this point.”<br/>
</p><p>Grabbing a fist-sized chunk of stone from the ground, V hurls it at Johnny’s projection. The image flickers out, then rematerializes nearby.<br/>
</p><p>“Yeah, that’s right, throwing a tantrum will solve everything,” Johnny spits. “Grow up, V.”<br/>
</p><p>V sinks to the ground, head in hands. They want so badly for Johnny to just go away, just for a few minutes, just so they can have a few thoughts to themself.<br/>
</p><p>“Good luck with that,” the projection says.<br/>
</p><p>“Stop it! Stop reading my thoughts!”<br/>
</p><p>“You know I can’t help it. Get a grip, will you? It’s not the end of the fucking world.”<br/>
</p><p>V rubs their forehead. They try to hone in on the link, to see what Johnny’s really feeling about this, but turns up nothing. Johnny is always better at hiding things.<br/>
</p><p>“Fuck,” V groans. Bad enough that they should discover feelings for Johnny, but for Johnny to know… They wish they could sink into the earth. Fall asleep and not wake up.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey now,” Johnny says. “It’s not that bad. It’s kinda cute, really. Like a puppy chasing after a wolf.”<br/>
</p><p>“Dick,” V mutters on reflex.<br/>
</p><p>Johnny smirks and puts his aviators back on. “Cunt.”<br/>
</p><p>Maybe, V thinks, nothing has really changed.</p><p> </p><p>It’s a week later. V wakes with a pounding headache, like someone took an ice pick to their brain. Their throat and mouth feel dry and thick. They squeeze their eyes shut against the light streaming in through a crack in the blinds. Must have been a hell of a night, V thinks. The details escape them. They remember heading to the Afterlife, and then…<br/>
</p><p>Their eyes snap open wide. “<em>Johnny!</em>”<br/>
</p><p>“What is this, fucking roll call?” Johnny’s projection flickers into being at the edges of V’s perception.<br/>
</p><p>V sits up, wincing at all the kinks down their spine, and realizes that they’d fallen asleep in the bathroom. “You son of a bitch,” they groan. “You were only s’posed to talk to Rogue.”<br/>
</p><p>“Hey, I needed to give her something solid to work with,” Johnny says. “So I went out and gathered a little information.”<br/>
</p><p>Bits and pieces are coming back to V, dreamlike in their ephemerality. “At a strip club?”<br/>
</p><p>“Best place to get people talking. Worked, too.”<br/>
</p><p>V wants to argue further, but the pounding in their head is making it difficult to form sentences. “Coulda...laid off on the booze a bit…” They get slowly to their feet, swaying slightly. The motion is enough to churn whatever sad thing is left in their stomach, and they immediately drop to their knees to retch into the toilet. They’re not sure, but they think they feel a twinge of sympathy from across the link.<br/>
</p><p>Several glasses of water later, V steps into the shower to wash the scummy feeling from their skin. One thing they do appreciate about Johnny is that he generally makes himself scarce whenever they get undressed. Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from trying to hook up with a stripper last night.<br/>
</p><p>It’s as they’re washing that they find one last surprise from the night before. On their right arm is a tattoo. It’s a simple thing, just a small heart with an arrow through it and the words <em>Johnny + V</em> inscribed within. V stares at it as if it’s going to sprout a mantis blade.<br/>
</p><p>“<em>Johnny!</em>”<br/>
</p><p>“Oh yeah, that,” comes the voice from within their head. “I thought you’d like it.”<br/>
</p><p>“Is this some kind of...sick joke? You learn I have...certain feelings, and then you pull something like this?”<br/>
</p><p>“You’re jumping to conclusions faster than a cheap whore spreads her legs.” Johnny brushes off V’s anger, but there’s something beneath his words, an emotion he doesn’t want them to see. “If you’ll recall, I was drunk off my ass. Wasn’t trying to mock you, just seemed like a good idea.”<br/>
</p><p>V takes an incredulous moment before saying, “You’re embarrassed.”<br/>
</p><p>“I don’t get embarrassed,” Johnny says, and suddenly he’s back to his cool, unflappable rockerboy persona. “Thought you’d like it, and obviously you don’t. So get rid of it.”<br/>
</p><p>Tilting their arm to catch the light, V examines the linework. Not the best, they’ve got to admit, but it’s kind of...charming. “Actually, I think I’ll keep it,” they say.<br/>
</p><p>“I don’t care one way or the other,” Johnny says, but V can feel that he’s pleased.<br/>
</p><p>There’s something about the thought of a drunk Johnny picking this tattoo that softens V’s attitude towards their passenger. They trace the slightly raised lines and smile to themself. Maybe nothing has really changed, or maybe everything has.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Looking for more? I decided the rest of the stuff I had in this timeline would be better off as stand-alone fics in a collection. I will be updating as soon as I figure out whether or not I want to write a fight scene...</p></blockquote></div></div>
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